Hail the Gudetama (McD) burger

One thing I observed here in Hong Kong is that its retail sector is very dynamic and highly responsive to consumer preferences.

Case in point: you could almost mark the turn of the season from autumn to winter and winter to spring by the types of electronics they sell in home appliances stores. A few degrees drop in temperature and you'd see all the space warmers lining up the shelves. The moment it rises a few degrees, the warmers will vanish and dehumidifiers and fans will magically take their place. This year, the temperature dropped sharply a few days after the temperature rose consistently. You can imagine how many stores are out of stock by the time people say "screw it, I'm going to buy one so that I could use it next year!", which includes yours truly.

Luckily for people who love a good fast food meal like me, McDonald's here is pretty innovative as well. Almost every month, there will be either a new flavour of ice cream to try or a new set meal to sample. So far, memorable ones are as follows:

White burger (promotional photo on Pintrest)

Pulled burger (non halal version).
There is a halal version which looks
just like this, but offered a week
before this arrived.

So when I saw this on the daily free newspaper I get on the way to work... it's been all I anticipated since Thursday.

This made my week, seriously. From www.mcdonalds.com.hk

I know this sounds pathetic, but trying new McDonald's products has always been the highlight of my week everywhere I go. This sometimes gets be into trouble, because my work sort of implies that I should know that this sort of lifestyle is not something that your local health department would recommend.

Anyhow, the burger set retails for HKD 34 as of 27 May, which is called a "sampling price" on the menu when you buy it in person. Order it a-la-carte and the burger is around HKD 27 (if I remember correctly). The set comes with a medium fries and your choice of a drink you can do without of fizzy drink. 

The fries and drink are pretty standard, as you can already tell, but the burger, well, was interesting.

It comes in a cute box like this:

Too cute to rip apart.

Check out the side!

And finally... tada!

After ripping the top part of the box off, you'll see that the burger is made out of rice substituting the bread, an omelette, and a piece of fried chicken fillet.

At first taste, the rice was a tad too salty. But after you bite into the omelette (which contains a bit of corn) and the chicken, it isn't too bad. The chicken fillet was crunchy and not too dry, but given that the rice was salty I would prefer it to be a bit more spicy, like the one in the Spicy McChicken fillet. 

The omelette was okay, and I thought it a weird combo with the rest of the burger because it was a bit sweet. Overall, it is an interesting combination, but I wouldn't say this is the best seasonal burger I've tried. For those who like to try seasonal burgers such as this one once, I think it's worth a sample just for posterity's sake. 

Here is to hoping they bring back the Pulled Chicken Burger! 

(Probably unnecessary) PSA: Too much fast food is not really the best lifestyle choice you can make. I used to eat a lot of fast food and let's just say I feel much healthier now that I eat such meals only about once every two weeks. It's fun to try new things once in a while though!

Have a great weekend everybody :D

3 years down the road

So, as I was consolidating all my online blogs to create a single site for all my hobbies and flights of fancies, I stumbled upon this ancient creation of mine (yes, a 3 year blog for me is a milestone).

Surprisingly, some posts have more than 100 reads! I know it is rather minuscule by the sort of following bloggers have these days, but I'm not even sure 100 people read my published articles much less something I wrote without readers being forced to read it just because they happen to read X, Y, Z newspaper/magazine.

Anyhow, in 2013, I wrote this:

I have no drawer at home so here's my list of to-dos before Dec 31, 2013:1. Run a 10km marathon in under 1 hour2. Exercise and meditate every day3. Monthly day/weekend trips to all states in Peninsula Malaysia4. Contribute an article to an international publication

I have achieved number 4 so far. Number 1 and number 2 is work in progress, and number 3 is logistically impossible now. It is 2016 and I'm at 1 hr 20 mins for 10km (it was 1:45 - 2:00 back then)

It strikes me how long some goals can take. But I'm happy to say that I'm still working on 1 and 2.

Soon I will have a site to document all my flights of fancy, because in hindsight they not as frivolous as I thought they were.

Like the time I helped an IT guy revive his boss' old iPhone in winter because I just revived mine. Apparently iPhones hate the cold too (https://www.getorchard.com/blog/iphone-battery-dies-in-cold-weather/). What you have to do is give it some warmth with your hair dryer.

And the time I used vinegar to clear the recurring mold underneath my desk. All the computer tricks used to remove formatting, copy and paste, Excel hacks, etc etc.

And so, I'll be migrating this blog soon, and will provide a link in my last post. Will leave this here for future reading, but am excited for what lies ahead!

Lost in thoughts

I know I've promised part two of my Penang trip but I have made choices that require me to focus on other things in my life. But I'll be back! (Arnie in The Last Stand is really good)

After this I would turn this blog into a portfolio of my work and work towards a location independent career. Oh, what I would give to see the world! Fingers crossed.

Penang in 48 hours. First 21.

Okay, maybe it's not 48 hours. More like 36 crammed into 24.

I was in Penang last month for a friend's wedding, and this is my second solo trip to one of the places that is becoming my favourite place in Malaysia: Penang.

Many of you may know Penang for its street food, and Penangites would defend to their last breath the no.1 status of their char koay teow, cendol, ais kacang, nasi kandar, and loh bak. Most of them will balik kampung, meet up with friends, and indulge in weekends of unabashed gluttony indulgence.

But they are not too far from the truth. Food in Penang is really tasty. You just need to taste it to tell. And compare those to what you can find in KL.

Anyway, I have just about 5-6 hours to do some sightseeing in Penang, having reached the Hentian Sungai Nibong at 3pm despite catching a bus from KL at 9am! Usually it takes only about 4 hours (or 2.5 hours according to a F1 driver). The traffic was really bad as it was the starting of the school holidays.

I reached there, with no preparation and no map. I wasn't even sure where I was on the Penang Island. But the best thing about travelling in Malaysia is that Malaysians are generally helpful. Depending on where you are, it is easy to get directions. I was rather unlucky as Penangites, apparently, do not take public transport. So after a few people pointed me in several different directions, I decided to just wait at the bus stop for the bus to go to Tanjung Bungah. Fortunately, it took only half and hour to get on the no. 102 that will travel to the other side of the Island. The hotel receptionist commented that I was lucky to even get a room. I didn't regret making reservations earlier.

The 102 bus. (http://www.rapidpg.com.my/)

The Komtar building. Georgetown's most recognisable landmark.

The room. I'm a creature of comfort. :)

Copthorne. Nice cosy hotel. (http://www.copthornepenang.com/)

I reached Copthorne only an hour and a half later due to hellish traffic and had half an hour to shower and head to the other end of the coast to attend the wedding. Luckily, the friendly doorman offered to book me a taxi for RM25 to get there. It was about a 15 min drive but taxi fares are generally quite expensive in Penang, which is why locals avoid taking them. I didn't mind paying because one of the things you realise quickly is that you can learn a lot about the city when you talk to taxi drivers. And Mr Bas, the taxi driver, didn't disappoint.

-wedding + a good night's sleep + breakfast in bed (no breakfast with room) + swim (oh.my.god.)-

I love hotels with swimming pools. That's because it's the only time I get to just put on my swimsuit and head down. Driving to a swimming pool kind of kills the joy somewhat. And Copthorne's pool was one of the best I've seen so far. It's not the standard 50m pool that I love, but there's one part of it that is 2m deep. So you can practically dive in when the guards are not looking. And because it's so deep there the kids won't bother you.

Nothing wakes you up more than a light breakfast (cafe on the left) and solid laps in the pool

The hotel also has access to a small beach, which I missed because I was too distracted by the pool. But what more can you ask for? Imagine this: sunrise by the beach, warm coffee plus a cinnamon bun and a swim. Perfect morning.

A view from the bar at the poolside

The beach

And so, the first 21 hours of my stay in Penang has concluded when I checked out at around noon. Another tip for travellers in a rush: ask a Penangite to bring you around. They know the best places to eat and things to see!

That's going to be in part 2.

Glossary for my non-Malaysian readers
1. Char Koay Teow = fried rice noodles (the noodles are flat-ish, like fettucine)
2. Cendol = a dessert with jelly, red beans and sometimes corn in diluted coconut milk
3. Ais kacang = Ice shaving plus red beans, and lots of stuff. Sweet dessert.
4. Nasi kandar = Mixed rice with lots of fried stuff and curry.
5. Loh bak = Marinated minced pork rolled in soybean sheets - deep fried.

Why writers have bad blogs

I have just finished transcribing an hour-long interview and several short speeches. And while that would be left to stew in the brain for it to produce a comprehensive prose that will fill several pages in a magazine, I have come to a conclusion that I am a better writer splicing together random facts and opinions on a subject than sharing my thoughts on, say, durian mille crepes.

Now there are a few reasons why many journalists or writers for publications may not readily share their own opinions or are reluctant to share their personal opinions online. Many editors and journalists who have their own blogs in which they write about the exact things they write about for their publications. But some have limited their blogs to their professional work, making it more like their portfolio than a reflection of what goes on in their minds.

Here are, I think, a few reasons why:

1. If writing is your job, it ceases to become your hobby after a while.

2. If you are a journalist, personal opinions are always left out of copy. Also, if you are writing about the things you write about professionally, people may read your personal thoughts and judge your work differently. You always want to be as objective as possible.

3. If you are a writer, you can save those thoughts for a book or your next paid publication ;).

4. When you write during your "down" time, you know what happens.

5. That AP style obsession really hurts creativity.

6. Readers would benefit more from reading about how they could prevent cancer than why Twilight is the next best thing to happen to humanity after Coke.

7. Experiencing things with the intention to write about it often takes the fun out of the experience.

8. My boss would likely prefer that I spend the time writing this post on more productive pursuits. Like the next story.

But, if we write about something else, like our passion, it may make a difference. There are so many things to write about but so little time!

Anyway, I came across this video and thought it would be great to share. Have always loved Japanese composers.

My random thoughts for the past 10 months

1. When it rains, it really pours. Hard. Just as you thought your life was uneventful, an avalanche visits you with everything you wished for and avoided fervently coming at you at once. And the only thought on your mind is, SHIT.

2. It's not THAT bad. Yes, life is pretty screwed up now. Yes, maggi goreng is the best food you can find within walking distance and you're constantly on coffee or diet coke or something that will elicit similar responses from your body. You are stressed, not stressed enough, loved, not loved, or dumped. But that's just going to fade with time. But mourn it too long and you'll miss the opportunity staring in your face all these while.

3. JUMP. Don't look. Don't think. Just do it.

4. The best thing about being in love is the opportunity to know yourself better so you could be a better version of you. It is not selfish. A better you is great for people around you.

5. Problems are only problems if you refuse to look at them as challenges.

6. The secret of success is having the blind faith that you would make it in the end. Doing your best is good enough.

7. Its OK to swear sometimes. Better to get the load off than let it fester.

8. I really think everyone should get a SANDBAG or learn to meditate. The aggression has to go somewhere.

9. I'm an unapologetic fighter. But I've learned to pick my battles and accept that you can't win it all.

10. If you are feeling down and out, take me out for a drink. You won't regret it! (with endorsements from many that goes along 'thank you for the therapeutic session') And no. We do not need alcohol. 

A work date

Photo by cyclonebill - found at Wikimedia Commons

Over the five years I've been a writer, I have never written any of my stories in a cafe. Or restaurant.

Maybe it's because I predominantly swing towards the extreme ends of writing. Long form features or short and succinct news. One requires tons of research and I am notorious for killing trees. The other requires only a smartphone and you can write stories standing. And as I generally do not require much external inspiration to write, I write in the office, or at home, or anywhere I can find a flat surface to sit on. I just don't believe in paying a premium for a workspace.

But yesterday I did. And it turns out to be quite pleasant. It felt weird at first because I have always wondered how people can just go to Starbucks, order expensive coffee, sit down, power up their laptops and work. I understand there's free wi-fi and people do go there to work. Alone. But when there is more than two people? What was the point?

After spending close to 5 hours at Starbucks, I finally realise the possible reasons why people do meet up to work.

1. These days our lives are getting busier than ever. Alongside work commitments, social commitments grow over time. On top of business meetings, you have your dinners with friends, farewells, birthday bashes, weddings etc etc. When you want to meet as well as work weekends, you meet and work!

2. Although writing is very much a solitary activity (which is why writers tend to live in their heads), some distraction is good. Though these days due to the Internet, we tend to distract ourselves with other people's writing. Some sort of conversation in between paragraphs can actually get the brain juices flowing.

3. Sometimes people watching can be fun. There was this young couple at the next table who can't stop checking out other people and providing commentary. And there was this French guy who was brokering a black market deal over the phone, loudly.

And so, the work is finished after about 5 hours and we head off for some entertainment to cap off the day. It was one of the toughest stories for me but I think it may take longer if I were to stare at the ceiling and wrench words out of my mind.

I may not be called a dinosaur yet, but my approach to life is pretty conventional and traditional. That's why I used to think that when people meet, phones are best tucked away. That said, there is a difference between being totally engrossed with work/the phone and being present while doing work. It's kind of like one of my other friends, who could fiddle with the phone and still catch whatever conversation that is going on around the table.

Spending quality time together with friends and family is still the best. But being able just to spend time with people we care about whilst fulfilling our other duties is sometimes good enough.